Madonna of Utrecht
Greenie
Santa Margarita Lead Bale Seal
Artifact 49987
I would like to take up a brief discussion of the lead bale seal artifacts discussed so lucidly by Ms. Carol Tadesco in a research piece she wrote and submitted to the Imac Digest (http://www.imacdigest.com/bale.html). Here is a quick summary of her observations on the historic significance of the presence of this type of object among the artifact assemblage of the Santa Margarita:
The presence of a Haarlem, Netherlands seal on the Santa Margarita shipwreck is particularly interesting because of the complex historic relationship that existed between the Netherlands and Spain in 1622. By 1519, the Netherlands [was] under the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Spain. Charles was of the Spanish branch of the house of Habsburg. Later, he resigned Spain and the Netherlands to his Spanish born son, Philip II. Philip's oppressive rule led to the Dutch waging a long war for independence from Spain. Eventually, Haarlem was liberated from Spain and the city was incorporated into the Dutch Republic of the United Provinces, which consisted of the Low Countries Northern Provinces. The Southern Provinces remained loyal to Spain. (Carol Tadesco, Santa Margarita Lead Bale Seal Artifact 49987. See link above for cited passage. Hereafter cited as C. Tadesco, LBS Artifact 49987)
By probing the nature of the Dutch trading position in Europe during the VXII century, it may be possible to build on Ms. Tadesco’s research and narrow the possible significance of the lead seals found on both the Santa Margarita and the Ecuadorian wrecks to evidence of something more specific and, therefore, useful for analysis of wrecks from this period. Ms. Tadesco makes the following general comments with regard to lead seals and their use within the mercantile communities of Europe:
Lead seals such as cloth seals and bale seals were widely used in Europe between the 13th and 19th centuries as a means of identification and as a component of regulation and quality control. Cloth seals appear to be the most thoroughly documented type of seal. Cloth seals were typically two disc seals joined by a connecting strip. These were intended to be folded around each side of a textile and stamped closed, in a manner similar to that in which coins were stamped. (C. Tadesco, LBS Artifact 49987)
To expand on these comments, it should also be kept in mind that the action of affixing these seals to commodities earmarked for loading and shipment aboard a vessel was the end result of a very important profession practiced in the great port cities of the world during the age of sail, that of the Bracker.
In many of the Baltic ports servicing Dutch and Hanseatic trade, bracking practices were rigidly defined. Bracking refers to the official separation and grading of different types of goods according to their quality. Often a Baltic port would compete to outdo other rival ports with the accuracy of its bracking and official brackers. Alfred Crosby, one of the few authors whose research touches on this subject, writes about bracking with respect to 19th century Russian trade and specifically ties the use of the lead bale seal to the bracking flax cloth:
One of the features most attractive to traders about St. Petersburg and the other Russian ports was bracking. Bracking was the official inspections and sorting into different grades of the goods for export. To be noted for honest and efficient bracking was a great advantage to a port. As each bracker inspected and graded merchandise, he guaranteed his honesty and judgment by affixing his name to the inspected articles: the casks of tallow or oil by stamping. the flax by a lead tally attached with a string, the hemp by a wooden tally placed inside the bale. Thus, if a bracker let some inferior merchandize slip by or rated some as of higher quality than it truly was, he could be brought to answer. If the charges against him were proven, he would be liable to severe punishment. (Alfred W. Crosby. America, Russia, Hemp, and Napoleon (Ohio State University Press, 1965) p. 30.)
Note that the use of wooden and lead seal material is clearly differentiated by product type, i.e. wooden seals for hemp and lead seals for flax. Such differentiation would make it easier to inventory cargo below decks were light is minimal and at a premium.
I have not been able to trace this practice of assigning lead seals to flax bales specifically back before the 1790s outside of Russian Baltic ports. I would like to ask the TreasureNet community if anyone has enough experience in the Dutch archives to shed any additional light on the Dutch practice of bracking. Some additional questions I would pose: how early is the assignment of lead bale seals to flax and can this practice be traced to the Dutch? Was this only a Russian practice in the Baltic or did the Russians adopt the practice from the Dutch?
The question is of some interest to those researchers and treasure hunters seeking vessels built and outfitted at the expense of the Habsburg Crown to sail in the Tierra Firme fleets. Very likely, these important vessels carried extra suits of sails and bales of the finest flax with which to repair and replace sail suites. Therefore, narrowing down some of the questions surrounding the presence of lead bale seals of Dutch origin on Spanish vessels of the 17th century could serve as an archaeological indicator of a vessel outfitted at great expense with the latest and best sail technology.
Best Regards,
Ursula Utrecht
Artifact 49987
I would like to take up a brief discussion of the lead bale seal artifacts discussed so lucidly by Ms. Carol Tadesco in a research piece she wrote and submitted to the Imac Digest (http://www.imacdigest.com/bale.html). Here is a quick summary of her observations on the historic significance of the presence of this type of object among the artifact assemblage of the Santa Margarita:
The presence of a Haarlem, Netherlands seal on the Santa Margarita shipwreck is particularly interesting because of the complex historic relationship that existed between the Netherlands and Spain in 1622. By 1519, the Netherlands [was] under the rule of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and King of Spain. Charles was of the Spanish branch of the house of Habsburg. Later, he resigned Spain and the Netherlands to his Spanish born son, Philip II. Philip's oppressive rule led to the Dutch waging a long war for independence from Spain. Eventually, Haarlem was liberated from Spain and the city was incorporated into the Dutch Republic of the United Provinces, which consisted of the Low Countries Northern Provinces. The Southern Provinces remained loyal to Spain. (Carol Tadesco, Santa Margarita Lead Bale Seal Artifact 49987. See link above for cited passage. Hereafter cited as C. Tadesco, LBS Artifact 49987)
By probing the nature of the Dutch trading position in Europe during the VXII century, it may be possible to build on Ms. Tadesco’s research and narrow the possible significance of the lead seals found on both the Santa Margarita and the Ecuadorian wrecks to evidence of something more specific and, therefore, useful for analysis of wrecks from this period. Ms. Tadesco makes the following general comments with regard to lead seals and their use within the mercantile communities of Europe:
Lead seals such as cloth seals and bale seals were widely used in Europe between the 13th and 19th centuries as a means of identification and as a component of regulation and quality control. Cloth seals appear to be the most thoroughly documented type of seal. Cloth seals were typically two disc seals joined by a connecting strip. These were intended to be folded around each side of a textile and stamped closed, in a manner similar to that in which coins were stamped. (C. Tadesco, LBS Artifact 49987)
To expand on these comments, it should also be kept in mind that the action of affixing these seals to commodities earmarked for loading and shipment aboard a vessel was the end result of a very important profession practiced in the great port cities of the world during the age of sail, that of the Bracker.
In many of the Baltic ports servicing Dutch and Hanseatic trade, bracking practices were rigidly defined. Bracking refers to the official separation and grading of different types of goods according to their quality. Often a Baltic port would compete to outdo other rival ports with the accuracy of its bracking and official brackers. Alfred Crosby, one of the few authors whose research touches on this subject, writes about bracking with respect to 19th century Russian trade and specifically ties the use of the lead bale seal to the bracking flax cloth:
One of the features most attractive to traders about St. Petersburg and the other Russian ports was bracking. Bracking was the official inspections and sorting into different grades of the goods for export. To be noted for honest and efficient bracking was a great advantage to a port. As each bracker inspected and graded merchandise, he guaranteed his honesty and judgment by affixing his name to the inspected articles: the casks of tallow or oil by stamping. the flax by a lead tally attached with a string, the hemp by a wooden tally placed inside the bale. Thus, if a bracker let some inferior merchandize slip by or rated some as of higher quality than it truly was, he could be brought to answer. If the charges against him were proven, he would be liable to severe punishment. (Alfred W. Crosby. America, Russia, Hemp, and Napoleon (Ohio State University Press, 1965) p. 30.)
Note that the use of wooden and lead seal material is clearly differentiated by product type, i.e. wooden seals for hemp and lead seals for flax. Such differentiation would make it easier to inventory cargo below decks were light is minimal and at a premium.
I have not been able to trace this practice of assigning lead seals to flax bales specifically back before the 1790s outside of Russian Baltic ports. I would like to ask the TreasureNet community if anyone has enough experience in the Dutch archives to shed any additional light on the Dutch practice of bracking. Some additional questions I would pose: how early is the assignment of lead bale seals to flax and can this practice be traced to the Dutch? Was this only a Russian practice in the Baltic or did the Russians adopt the practice from the Dutch?
The question is of some interest to those researchers and treasure hunters seeking vessels built and outfitted at the expense of the Habsburg Crown to sail in the Tierra Firme fleets. Very likely, these important vessels carried extra suits of sails and bales of the finest flax with which to repair and replace sail suites. Therefore, narrowing down some of the questions surrounding the presence of lead bale seals of Dutch origin on Spanish vessels of the 17th century could serve as an archaeological indicator of a vessel outfitted at great expense with the latest and best sail technology.
Best Regards,
Ursula Utrecht
